80-year-old woman booted from YMCA for asking male to leave women’s locker room

How did a Washington state YMCA handle an 80-year-old woman’s complaint about a man in a women’s swimsuit watching nearly naked little girls in the women’s locker room? 

Port Townsend Mountain View Pool, operated by the Olympic Peninsula YMCA, banned the elderly woman for discriminating against the transgender woman (a biological male identifying as female). 

According to the Port Townsend Free Press, on July 26, Julie Jaman, a 35-year member of the YMCA, was in the shower when she heard the voice of a man. Shocked, she looked out to see a biological male in a women’s swimsuit, allegedly observing four little girls in various states of undress. 

“There are no private showers,” Jaman explained. “They are all clustered in a common area that requires users to step into and out of the showers in the view of others. The light curtains on each shower stall do not provide much of a shield from the eyes of others. One can see out as well as in.” 

The woman then described what happened: “There were gaps in the curtain, and there I was – naked, with soap and water on me – and this guy, right there very close to me.” 

Jaman says she asked out loud if the man had a penis, to which Clementine Adams, the transgender person in question, replied, “That’s none of your business.” 

At that point, Jaman demanded Adams leave the restroom. 

The 80-year-old then noticed aquatics manager Rowen DeLuna, who she believed would help her, and pleaded with DeLuna to “Get him (Adams) out of here.” But instead, DeLuna accused Jaman of discrimination.  

“You’re discriminating, and you can’t use the pool anymore. And I’m calling the police,” the manager allegedly said. 

What Jaman didn’t realize at the time is Clementine Adams is an employee of the YMCA. According to Jaman, Adams was wearing nothing to indicate this. 

Upon leaving the facility, Jaman informed the employees that she was going to the police and headed to the nearby office to file a report.

A few days later, Jaman staged a protest outside the Mountain View pool along with supporters and then appeared before the Court Townsend City Council the same day.  

“Women and children are being put at risk,” Jaman told the council. “My experience while showering after my swim was seeing a man in a women’s swimsuit watching little girls pull down their bathing suits in order to use the toilets… I reacted by telling him to leave. And the consequence is that I have been banned from the pool. 

“This is not right. The YMCA, the city, the police and sheriffs, the parents, the professionals who assist victims of voyeurism, peeping toms, pedophilia and assault need to come together to figure out how to make the new policies work for all pool patrons, not just one group.”